UNIT 11 NATIONALISM: APPROACHES Structure 11 Introduction 11.2 What is Nationalism 11.3 Distinction Between Nationalism and Related Terms 11.4 Rise of Nationalism and Features of National Identity 11.5 Approachesto the Study of Nationalism 1.5.1 Liberal Approach and Humanitarian Approach , 1.5.2 Expansionist Approach . 11.5.3 Marxist Approach 1 Integral-Fascist Approach 11.5.5 Anti-colonial Approach 11.6 'Nations Without State' and 'States Without Nation' 11.7 Globalisationand the Future of Nationalism 11.8 Summary 11.9 Exercises 11.1 INTRODUCTION Nationalism has been called the religion of and centuries.As a way of thinking about the world, it emphasises the importance of nations explaining historical developmentsand analysing contemporary politics and also claims that 'national character' is a pervasive factor differentiating human beings. Nationalism assumesthat all human beings should have one and only one nationality which should be their primary factor of identity and loyalty. This means that people should see themselves as members of a nationality and be prepared to make any sacrifices required to defend and advance the interest of a nation. As a doctrine of universal applicability,nationalism claims that all people should give their highest loyalty to their own nation. claimsto represent the will people to be able to decide upon their own destiny, their will to be respected as a to develop their culture and personality. During the last two hundred years, nationalism has combined with the ideologies of liberalism, and communism and emerged as a winner. Everywhere in the world, nationalism comes first and other ideologies occup a second position. The national movements in the colonial count ies in the first half of 20 century and the disintegration of Soviet Union in the t fag end of 20 century revealed the powerful force of nationalism. Today, we live in an age where instead of peaceful nations feel constant threat of being annihilated. Nationalism provides a useful tool for the preservation of their culture. This is all the more important when, in the context of globalisation, there is an attempt at homogenisation of all the communities. 11.2 WHAT IS NATIONALISM Nationalism is a compound of many factors some of which have their roots in human nature and many of which have a long history. Yet it is a modern phenomenon. To discover it is a difficult undertaking and to define it in succinct phrases is even more difficult. In one sense it is the extension of a group to which one belongs. this sense, it is a form of collective egoism. In negative sense it is a manifestation of that fear of the 'stranger' with its roots deep in human nature. In modern sense it of that love of the familiar land and people which is often regarded as the core of patriotism. According to Hayes, nationalism has been used in many different ways and it is commonly used 'to denote a condition of mind among members of a nationality, perhaps already possessed of a national state, a condition of mind in which loyalty to the ideal or to the fact of one's national state is superior to all other loyalties and of which pride in one's nationality and belief in its intrinsic excellence and its 'mission' are 'integral parts'. Similarly, Hans Kohn defines nationalism as a state of mind.. .. Striving to correspond to a political fact.' On the other hand Gellner writes, 'Nationalism is primarily a political principle which holds that the political unit and the national unit should be congruent...nationalist sentiment is a feeling of anger aroused by the violation of the principle, or the feeling of satisfaction aroused by its Giddens points to the psychological character of nationalism 'the affiliation individual to a set of symbols and beliefs, emphasising commonality among the members of a particular community'. In short, nationalism has aspects: the political character of nationalism as an ideology defending the notion that the state and the nation should be congruent and its capacity to be a provider of identity for individuals conscious of forming a group based upon a common past and culture, attachment to a concrete The power of nationalism emanates from its ability to engender sentimentsof to a particularcommunity. Symbols and rituals play a major role in the cultivation of a sense of solidarity among the people. Thus in order to understand the concept of nationalism, we must keep in mind that Nationalism is a sentiment that has to do with attachment to a homeland, a common language, ideals, values and traditions, a particular group with symbols as flag, songs which define it as 'different' from others. The attachment creates an identity and the appeal to that identity has a past and the power to mobilise the people. How a sentiment of attachment to a homeland and a common culture can be transformed into the political demand for the creation of a state; how is it possible to make this transition? A theory of nationalism has to deal with questions such as: how does nationalism use and legitimise the use of violence in its quest for the creation of a state? An important feature of nationalism is its to bring together people from different social and cultural levels. Nationalism is not merely an invention of the ruling classes to maintain the unconditional loyalty of the masses but also making believe that they much in common that is more important than what separates them. This is one basic factors in trying to understand the persistence of 11.3 DISTINCTION BETWEEN NATIONALISM AND RELATED I TERMS In order to examine the political character of nationalism,a basic conceptual distinction has to be made between nation, state, nation-state and nationalism. The term 'state7 is a legal institution and usually refers to 'a human community that claims the monopoly of the use of physical force within a given territory'. On the other hand, 'nation' is a human group conscious of forming a community, sharing a common culture, attached to clearly demarcated territory, having a common past and a common project for the future and claiming the right to rule itself. A nation includes dimensions: psychological (consciousness of forming group), cultural, territorial,political and historical. By the term 'nation-state', is meant the 'formation of a kind of state which has the monopoly of legitimate use of force and which seeks to unite its people by means of homogenisation creating a common culture, symbols, values, traditions and myth of origin' . Nationalism is a sentiment of belonging to a community whose members with a set of and ways of and have the will to decide upon I their common political destiny. 11.4 OF AND FEATURES OF NATIONAL IDENTITY The rise of nationalism was preceded by a rise in the national consciousnessand differentiation of nationalities which took place between and centuries. Hayes contributes seven factorsto the rise of national consciousness: linguistic and literary, political, commercial, economic, ecclesiastical, religious, and cultural. Nations and nationalism are modem phenomena and nations can be defined only in termsof the age of nationalism. According to Gellner, nationalism is the result of some specific aspects of modernisation. It is the phenomenon connected with the emergence of industrial society. Giddens relates nations and nationalism to the emergence of modem state and locates it in the late century. Historically, kinship represented the first sign of formation of larger groups attached to a concrete territory. Through the creation of markets, the intensification of trade, the fightingof wars, the slow but progressiveamplificationof state's scope, there emerged the formation of a community conscious of itself which differed others. It is at this stage that one can talk of emergence of nations. Thus the principal factors responsible for the rise of nationalism can be enumerated as follows: the individualistic climate of opinion that characterised renaissance and reformation collapse of universal authorityof the church the desire of rising commercial classes for uniform trade regulations, abolition of feudal obstacles to trade and for creating conditions under which trade could be carried-on and profitably iv) the desire for peace, order and security in an age marked by bloodshed, violence and intolerance v) personal ambitions of monarchs who allied themselves with rising commercial class in vi) the doctrine of territorial sovereignty, which offered the national kinds the most convenient theoretical weapon with which to combat the claims of rival feudal or religious The idea of one unified legal system affording order,consistency and certainty in governing of all social relations within a given national area made a very strong appeal. .. According to three factors,can be ascribed to the rise of nationalism: Economic, Military and Cultural. After the renaissance and reformation,the embodiment of universal laws by the state regarding administration and taxation helped in the establishment of national markets, provided unified markets for the expansion of national industry and in the conquest of foreign markets. he creation of national unified economy helped in the developmentof a welfare state in the 20 century. Secondly, in the military competition among the states, the states based upon common nationality proved better because of the resources of national economy. Also they could rely on the allegiance of unified national army. Thirdly, the nation-state was able to satisfy the cultural - religious, ethnic, linguistic- demands of the people. Thus national consciousness helped in consolidating the position of states and meeting the internal as well as external challenges. characteristics of National the political aspect of nationalism as a modem phenomenon rising with the state, the big question is what creates a national identity. In other words, along with certain rational developments, there are less rational but not less important areas concerned with creating a feeling and emotion.